"Livin' in Desperate Times" by Olivia Newton-John

Song#:  1792
Date:  02/11/1984
Debut:  64
Peak:  31
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Synthpop, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Although Kenny Loggins and Jennifer Warnes get tagged as the era's king and queen of soundtracks, Newton-John was the one who really ruled the chart when it came to hit singles from films. From 1978 to 1984, Newton-John would get nine soundtrack songs on the US charts. Of those, four would reach the Pop Top 10 while two would hit #1. Three songs would be from the musical Grease, three from Xanadu, and three from Two of a Kind. Of course, it helped that she appeared in all three films and was a major music star already, but these results truly made her the ruler of the soundtrack single. This track would be the last of her film songs to reach the Pop chart. It was her second from the Two of a Kind soundtrack following the #5 "Twist of Fate."

ReduxReview:  I thought this would be another solid hit for Newton-John. It's well-produced synthpop with an urgent beat and a good, memorable chorus. But for some reason, it didn't click with folks and it stopped just short of the Top 30. I do wonder if tempo played a part in its lack of support. The song is fairly speedy, which made dancing to it a bit difficult. It is rather frantic sounding, but I like that. Although it doesn't rank among her classics, it's still a pretty good blast of synthpop.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  In 1990, Grease was first issued for sale on VHS video tape. To help celebrate the occasion, a medley of three songs from the film were spliced together into the single "The Grease Megamix." It consisted of the tunes "You're the One that I Want," "Greased Lightnin'," and "Summer Nights." It would be a big hit in Australia (#1) and the UK (#3). However, it was not issued in the US. The hit sparked a follow-up titled "Grease - The Dream Mix," which featured "Grease," "Sandy," and "Hopelessly Devoted to You," but it failed to catch on. Later in 1996, the original "Megamix" found its way on to the popular CD compilation Pure Disco. Again, the song was not issued as a single in the US, but DJ's were issued a promo pressing of the song to spin and it was so popular that it reached #12 on the US Airplay chart.

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